£1.1MILLION GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY FOR UNAFFORDABLE SALFORD HOUSING IN CHAPEL STREET

Star date: 1st February 2018

ECF CHAPEL STREET PROJECT GETS £1.1MILLION FUNDING

The Government is to subsidise the latest English Cities Fund (ECf) Chapel Street housing scheme with a £1.1million grant from its Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF), via Salford City Council. The grant is for preparation work for 188 apartments and 11 townhouses on Chapel Street, near the site of the former Ye Olde Nelson pub.

None of ECf's projects have included affordable housing, despite £millions of public money being poured into them. The Government is also handing Peel Holdings £4million of HIF funding for its Trafford Waters scheme.

Today, the Government announced a £1.1million grant from its Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) towards preparation work for 188 apartments and 11 townhouses on Chapel Street.

The housing scheme is to be built by the English Cities Fund (ECf), a partnership of Muse Developments, the Legal and General and the Government's Home and Communities Agency, with Salford City Council.

ECf is the organisation behind the Vimto Gardens, Timekeeper Square and Carpino Place developments that have seen no sign of affordable housing, nor public accountability despite receiving £millions of public money subsidies.*

The new £1.1million HIF grant is for 'Plot E7/E8' on Sydney Street, off Chapel Street and on the site of the former Ye Olde Nelson pub that was recently demolished, despite statements to the contrary by ECf (see here).

The money will go towards 'land remediation/utilities/mitigation works/sewer diversions/public realm works' to prepare for ECf to build the 188 apartments and 11 townhouses, and make even more profits from property sales. At ECf's Carpino Place, townhouses cost up to £380,000.

This latest grant is being funnelled through Salford City Council, and is one of 18 council-led projects across the North West, including Peel Holdings' Trafford Waters scheme which is set to receive a grant of £4million, via Trafford Council.

Announcing the payments this morning, Chancellor Philip Hammond said "This fund finances vital infrastructure...which will kick-start housing development in some of Britain's highest-demand areas", while Housing Secretary, Sajid Javid, added "My priority is building the homes this country desperately needs..."

Does Salford 'desperately need' more unaffordable housing? And why is Salford Council pimping money for huge corporations while stating it's got an 'affordable housing crisis'?

The Salford Star would put these questions to both the ECf and Salford Council but neither responds to questions from this publication.

Perhaps if the Mountain will not come to Mohamed it should go to the Mountain. If the council will not speak then go to the council taking a video camera and record their response. You have the ability and you have the right to ask as a freelance journalist you know the people would support your actions. You are the only journalist i know with the ability to get the answers. The tape should make a good story you investigate They close ranks surely that says something.